Government shutdown: Furloughed workers and Bay Area park closures

Government shutdown leaves thousands of Bay Area workers furloughed

Federal workers in the Bay Area said they received emails Wednesday morning informing them they would be furloughed due to a "lack of funds," and asking for them to conduct an "orderly shutdown."

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - Federal workers with NASA, the U.S. Geological Survey, and other offices at Moffett Field in Mountain View received emails Wednesday morning announcing the furloughs and ordering them to wrap up their work.

"We were told we should try to complete the activities in four hours today," Walter Mooney, a USGS Earthquake Science Center seismologist said.

At Moffett Field, which has some 600 federal employees, the main parade ground that is usually crowded in the middle of the week was quiet and deserted.

Signs outside closed doors announced the shutdown.

Mooney walked down empty halls at the USGS office. He said all but 12 of their 150 employees were sent home. The workshop was empty.

"It gets a lot of heavy use. Normally it would be full of employees, but today we have a shutdown," Mooney said.

The shutdown affects thousands of Bay Area federal workers.

For the broader public, people hoping to visit a national park may find closed gates at Bay Area sites including:

Baker Beach
China Beach
Fort Point
Fort Mason
Muir Woods
Stinson Beach

Park officials say sites with a gate that usually close at night have been shut down.

Alcatraz was closed Wednesday, but just for maintenance and officials say it will reopen on Thursday.

Fleet Week organizers say next week, there will be no sailors or ships, and no Blue Angels if the shutdown continues.

Some essential workers with the FAA and TSA are required to come to work during the shutdown.

"Troops and federal workers were paid today. It's the first of the month. Most federal employees get paid twice a month," Rep. Eric Swalwell of Castro Valley said, adding that Democrats should have fought harder to preserve government jobs during the last government budget cycle and some furloughed workers are asking him to fight this time to maintain services and jobs.

Some workers say they are worried about how to pay bills and get groceries if this drags on past their next payday on October 15th.

"A lot of people have concerns about what they should do, should expect," Mooney said. "There was one shutdown that lasted 35 days and we certainly don't want to see that."

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